Tag: Crete

Crete sketches 2024

Here are a selection of sketches made in Crete. The sketchbook is Jackson’s Art Supplies’ own brand, 160gsm watercolour paper, cotton blend, about 8″ x 9″.

I used some of the local earth as pigment, to make a watercolour, using Schmincke watercolour binder.

Binder + earth = watercolour
Binder
Watercolour

I ground the earth using a stone, breaking it up to make a powder like talcum powder. It still had bits in, but I managed to separate it by shaking, and scooped most of the bits off the top with a teaspoon. Then add an equal quantity, by volume, of the binder, and scoop into a suitable receptacle. It can be used immediately: it has the consistency of paint from a tube. Or. leave it to dry, then it’s like a watercolour pan. The “suitable receptacle” here is an empty butter portion container.

Home-made watercolour pan.

The watercolour works amazing well. It is a rich red-brown colour. Ideal for painting the surrounding scenery.

Painting with home-made watercolour

You can see it, for example, in this picture:

Here is a flick through the sketchbook:

Crete sketchbook flick-through

Sketching in Crete, May 2023

There was a bit of a delay at Gatwick.

When we arrived in Crete, there were thunderstorms. As the storm clouds cleared, we saw the red streaks where soft earth had been washed into the sea.

I sketched the headlands.

Eventually the sun came out.

Up the hill is the Roman city of Ancient Aptera. Here is Aptera theatre.

It is still in use. A piano was wheeled in, tuned and prepared for use, while I sketched.

Then we feasted in the marvellous Aptera Tavern. Here is the view from the Aptera Tavern towards the other side of the street.

There were lovely sunsets

In my notebook I identified and logged the ships that passed.

Logging the ships

On the day we departed, we visited the Agias Triadas Monastery.

Chania airport is a lively place after the tranquillity of the monastery.

The drawings were done in my notebooks and sketchbook and also as postcards sent to people.

  • the postcards were on Fabriano Artistico 300gsm cold-press watercolour paper
  • my sketchbook for this voyage was from the Vintage Paper Company, A5, containing cartridge paper
  • the ship log is in a “Grids and Guides” notebook from Princeton Architectural Press.

All colours are Daniel Smith watercolours. I use a fountain pen with De Atramentis Permanent Black ink.

Postcards from Crete

I sent some hand-drawn postcards from Crete.

Souda Bay looking East
Looking out at the laundry
Looking West

An experimental view from a restaurant:

Kalyves, looking inland to the church

Another view from a restaurant:

View from the Aptera Tavern

The Roman water cisterns at Aptera:

Roman water cisterns. Totally amazing. Still here, strong and standing.

The beautiful monastery of Agias Triados

I’ve sketched here in previous years, here is a 2017 sketch:

2017: https://janesketching.com/2017/05/13/agias-triada/

Paint dries really quickly here!

Crete blog posts:

  • Crete sketches 2024

    Crete sketches 2024

    Here are a selection of sketches made in Crete. The sketchbook is Jackson’s Art Supplies’ own brand, 160gsm watercolour paper, cotton blend, about 8″ x 9″. I used some of the local earth as pigment, to make a watercolour, using Schmincke watercolour binder. I ground the earth using a stone, breaking it up to make…

  • Sketching in Crete, May 2023

    Sketching in Crete, May 2023

    There was a bit of a delay at Gatwick. When we arrived in Crete, there were thunderstorms. As the storm clouds cleared, we saw the red streaks where soft earth had been washed into the sea. I sketched the headlands. Eventually the sun came out. Up the hill is the Roman city of Ancient Aptera.…

  • Postcards from Crete

    Postcards from Crete

    I sent some hand-drawn postcards from Crete. An experimental view from a restaurant: Another view from a restaurant: The Roman water cisterns at Aptera: The beautiful monastery of Agias Triados I’ve sketched here in previous years, here is a 2017 sketch: Paint dries really quickly here! Crete blog posts:

  • Insects Collage

    Insects Collage

    I made a postcard for friends in Basel. It shows the insect life in Crete. Here are some details, and the work under construction.     The idea was that the flies would jump out of the window when it was opened. The postcard is painted using pigments made from the earth. Update 28th May:…

  • Sketching in Crete 2019

    Sketching in Crete 2019

    The air in Crete was warm and damp. This affected the paper. See how the ink has spread in this pen and ink sketch at the airport: This is De Atramentis Black document ink on high quality watercolour paper, Saunders Waterford, in a small book 6″ by 4″ from the Vintage Paper Company. After that,…

  • Sketches in Crete – Sept 2018

    Sketches in Crete – Sept 2018

    I was experimental. I had a large sketchbook with rough pages, given to me for my birthday. I turned over the pages and tried things. As we drove back from Aptera one evening, the sun was setting and fired up the mist between the hills. Back at the kitchen table, I had a go: It…

  • Sketching in Crete: May 2018

    Sketching in Crete: May 2018

    Aptera was a city in Greek and Roman times. The people went to the Theatre. From the small slab in the centre, the acoustics are perfect. John gave a rendition of the speech of Richard III “Now is the winter of our discontent….”.  I heard it perfectly, at this distance. The place where we stayed…

  • The Guardian of the Vines

    The Guardian of the Vines

    Another collage postcard. I posted this one in London 18th May. It looks a bit crinkled because the cardboard was damp with PVA glue, and then dried. The white shape on the bottom right is a flake of white paint I found on the ground. It must have been polyurethane paint, because it was flexible…

  • The journey to the chapel of St Antonis

    The journey to the chapel of St Antonis

    Here is a collage made for friends in Switzerland. I posted it at the Post Office in Kalami on 8th May. The official there did not seem to be concentrating very hard. He looked dubiously at the word “Switzerland” on the address. I think I need to find out what “Switzerland” is in Greek. The…

Insects Collage

I made a postcard for friends in Basel. It shows the insect life in Crete.

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Here are some details, and the work under construction.

 

 

Postcard detail
The “window”
The “insects” behind the window
Glue drying

The idea was that the flies would jump out of the window when it was opened. The postcard is painted using pigments made from the earth.

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Update 28th May: I learned by email that all insects arrived intact, and are now dangerously positioned next to a Gecko.

This collage postcard is inspired by the work of https://sendmeapostcart.com

Sketching in Crete 2019

The air in Crete was warm and damp. This affected the paper. See how the ink has spread in this pen and ink sketch at the airport:

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This is De Atramentis Black document ink on high quality watercolour paper, Saunders Waterford, in a small book 6″ by 4″ from the Vintage Paper Company.

After that, I used pencil and watercolour only. Here is a view of the Akrotori peninsula. The warship is lurking in the NATO base.

US Navy ship in the NATO base

We lived with insects. At a hand movement, other movements occurred, in the air, on the kitchen surfaces, on the floor. Ants made their way across the breadboard, collecting crumbs or notifying HQ of the location of the honey drip. Beetles arrived suddenly, folded their wings and inspected the floor. I tried drawing them.

Beetle
Flying insects

Two geckos made their miraculous appearance some evenings and early mornings. They emitted small squeaks.

These are images made on “sun print” paper, using plants, and cut-out paper shapes. The geckos are a species of nocturnal reptile: Hemidactylus turcicus or Mediterranean House Gecko. They are insectivorous, eating, amongst other things, moths. I wondered if they would like to live in the Barbican ducts. It must be quite warm in there, and they would be entirely welcome to devour the moths.

They stick to the walls not with suckers but with hairs on their feet. The feet of geckos are subject of intense scientific interest, I read, since these hairs are so configured that they get close to the wall on an atomic scale (10 nanometers or so). At this distance the molecules of the feet attract, rather than repel, the molecules of the wall. There is a whole compendium of physics effects which make this possible: quantum mechanical, electrostatic, surface tension.  There could be an entire undergraduate course on the feet of the Gecko.

Outdoors there is landscape…

…and a garden.

I am learning to draw clouds. There were a lot of them.

I am learning to draw quickly. Here are some very quick sketches from cafés.

The grass was cut around the lower buildings in ancient Aptera, revealing arches.

Arches make poetry in the Agia Triada monastery: a pre-departure pause….

…before the airport.

Technical details

Pictures done in sketchbooks:

Small watercolour sketchbook from the Vintage Paper Company.
Stillman and Bern Delta series 8.5 by 5.5 inches

Using Watercolour box 1:

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Sun print paper was from Cowling and Wilcox on the Kingsland Road. It is called “Sunography”. I printed it on both sides.

Sketches in Crete – Sept 2018

I was experimental. I had a large sketchbook with rough pages, given to me for my birthday. I turned over the pages and tried things.

As we drove back from Aptera one evening, the sun was setting and fired up the mist between the hills. Back at the kitchen table, I had a go:

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It was stormy. We had some amazing sunsets.

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I did a lot of quick sketches with some special Koh-i-noor sketching pencils that friends brought me from the Czech Republic:

Sketching the Hill over Souda
The hill over Souda
John’s boots
People at the airport
John resting

We walked up the Diktamos gorge. It is deep and leafy. Here is an impression drawn that evening, trying to show you the dark depths of the gorge, the high rocky walls, and the leaves. John is shown, sitting on a stone, bottom centre left.

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On the way to the airport we stopped in Agia Triada. I had 45 minutes to do a sketch. This is pen and ink.

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It’s a three hour flight.  One has to do something. I revisited the Diktamos gorge in pen and ink. The game was to use as few lines as possible, by not taking the pen off the paper. This is 3 lines.

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Sketching in Crete: May 2018

Aptera was a city in Greek and Roman times. The people went to the Theatre.

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Remains of the Greek and Roman Theatre at Aptera. The Greek period is something like 300 BC. Then the Romans adopted it when they took over 67 – 395AD. The Theatre was a total ruin when we first visited in 2011, with part of it missing and the stones used to make a limekiln. In 2017 the lime kiln was removed and the auditorium circle has been re-created.

From the small slab in the centre, the acoustics are perfect. John gave a rendition of the speech of Richard III “Now is the winter of our discontent….”.  I heard it perfectly, at this distance.

The place where we stayed looks out over the bay.

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Military vessels pass by into the NATO base opposite, including submarines. Some of them go past, and into Souda.

We drove into Souda, to find out where they went. We found only a peaceful fishing harbour.

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The military harbour is hidden.

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I took a new sketchbook on this holiday. It had rough pages which meant I needed to work in a loose style. There were some spectacular sunsets

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Watercolour in sketchbook from the Vintage Paper Company.

We shared the house with a gecko.

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There is a contrast between the peaceful location…..

Sunset over Souda
John studying Spanish
The old plum tree
View to the East
Sunset after rain

…and the fearsome weapons of the NATO warships in the bay.

611: minesweeper
F576: frigate with missile systems and torpedoes
75: destroyer
F454
340: Frigate with anti-submarine weapon and decoys
F221: Frigate with surface to air missiles
P82: Toralla class patrol boat
A833: Armed multi-function support vessel

The ruins at Aptera have stood for two thousand years. Civilisations have come and gone in their time.

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Inside the Roman cisterns at Aptera. The city is mentioned in texts of 13th and 14th century BC. These Roman cisterns supplied water to the city. The city was destroyed by earthquake in 365 AD.

These pictures were done on location in various notebooks, using watercolour, pencil and De Atramentis Document ink.

Small illustrations in a 6″x4″Seawhite sketch book
Pictures of boats and other notes in a “Grids and Guides” notebook from Princetown Architectural Press
Watercolours at Aptera and Souda in the Stillman and Bern Delta Series watercolour sketchbook.
Watercolours at Aptera and Souda in the Stillman and Bern Delta Series watercolour sketchbook.
Small illustrations in a 6″x4″ Seawhite sketch book
Sunsets and loose watercolour sketches in the Katazome Sketchbook from the Vintage Paper Company
Sunsets and loose watercolour sketches in the Katazome Sketchbook from the Vintage Paper Company
Grids and Guides book from Princetown Architectural press. Good for nerds like me.

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Agia Traida, view from the entrance, in Stillman and Bern Delta Series watercolour book, using only ink.

 

The Guardian of the Vines

Another collage postcard. I posted this one in London 18th May.

It looks a bit crinkled because the cardboard was damp with PVA glue, and then dried. The white shape on the bottom right is a flake of white paint I found on the ground. It must have been polyurethane paint, because it was flexible and easy to cut. I left the edge ragged, as found. Top left is a map of Crete from the packet of olives. The fence is made of palm leaf. The leaves didn’t want to go flat.

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Here is work in progress.

 

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The journey to the chapel of St Antonis

Here is a collage made for friends in Switzerland.

I posted it at the Post Office in Kalami on 8th May. The official there did not seem to be concentrating very hard. He looked dubiously at the word “Switzerland” on the address. I think I need to find out what “Switzerland” is in Greek.

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The card is made from seeds and bits found on the walk.

Here is the construction in progress. Clothes pegs are an important tool.